• The inspector general of the USDA is looking into Neuralink.
• Since 2018, Neuralink allegedly killed 1,500 animals for research.
• Twitter was just purchased by Musk for $44 billion.

Following a Reuters article that detailed errors in the brain chip company's animal testing programme, US House Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff demand more US Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigation into Elon Musk's Neuralink, their offices stated on Thursday.

According to Reuters, Neuralink is being investigated by the USDA's inspector general for possible animal welfare breaches after internal employee allegations that its animal testing is being rushed, leading to unnecessary suffering and fatalities. 

The treatment of the animals described in these complaints seems to indicate a distressing lack of oversight, according to Blumenauer and Schiff, two Democrats who are members of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. Reuters found several issues with Neuralink's animal trials, including four experiments involving 86 pigs and two monkeys that were tainted by human errors.

The errors made the trials weaker and necessitated more testing, which resulted in the death of more animals. Since 2018, the company has killed over 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys as a result of research, according to Reuters. 

The offices of Blumenauer and Schiff declined to comment on what additional actions they would like the USDA to take after the inspector general's inquiry. The probe was 'essential to putting light on the avoidable animal suffering and deaths' and possible animal-welfare law violations, the legislators noted in their letter.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, an animal rights organisation that made records about Neuralink's collaboration with the University of California, Davis, public, is also cited by the lawmakers as a source of concern. Neuralink has recognised that six monkeys passed away as a result of medical issues in trials it carried out with the university between 2017 and 2020 as part of their relationship. Additionally, Schiff has criticised Musk's acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion (approximately Rs. 3,37,465 crore), saying that he 'sabotaged safeguards against digital misinformation and hate.'